WO2002050791A1

WO2002050791A1 - Method and apparatus for tracking a body

Info

Publication number: WO2002050791A1
Application number: PCT/GB2001/005639
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Dobson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-12-19
Filing date: 2001-12-19
Publication date: 2002-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 2003-06-19
Also published as: AU2002222278A1; GB0030939D0

Abstract

An event which is very stressful to both parents and their children is when the two become separated and the child becomes lost. In most instances the child is recovered unharmed, but great anxiety arises from the few cases where harm does come to the child. A method of tracking a body, e.g. lost child, is disclosed in which a radio pager is secured to the body. In the event the child is lost the pager is operated by telephone to emit an audible signal. The audible signal is then followed to the child.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRACKING A BODY

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for tracking a body.

The background to the invention will be explained in relation to lost children. The reader may appreciate that the invention has other applications. An event which is very stressful to both parents and their children is when the two become separated and the child becomes lost. In most instances the child is recovered unharmed, but great anxiety arises from the few cases where harm does come to the child.

Against this background, in accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of tracking a body, comprising securing a radio pager to the body, operating the pager by telephone to emit an audible signal, and following the audible signal to the body. Without intending to provide an exhaustive list, the body may be human, e.g. a child or other person unable to fend for themselves; an animal, e.g. a pet cat or dog; or an inanimate object, e.g. a key or purse. In general it is advantageous to increase the volume of the audible signal as time passes, for example up to a level of 100 - 120 dB. Especially in the case of a lost child, this enables the audible signal to start a level which does not alarm the child while later achieving a volume which is audible at some distance.

The audible signal may be a verbal message e.g. "lost child alert" which may alternate with a tone.

In order to assist another person who finds the body, especially a lost child, the method preferably includes displaying the directory number of said telephone on the pager.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a battery operated pager having no manually operable device for silencing it except removal of the battery. That makes it difficult for an intruding abductor to turn off the pager and difficult for the pager to be turned off accidentally, say, by its user. Preferably the pager is operable by one telephone number to emit a sound signal and by another telephone number to silence the sound signal.

Less preferably the pager may be operable to emit a sound signal for a predetermined time period. In a most preferred example the pager includes means, e.g., a strap or a pin, for attaching the pager to a person or their clothing.

In this case, the pager preferably has a battery compartment which cannot be opened without removing the pager from the person or their clothing.

The battery compartment is preferably lockable. The invention extends to pager for use in the method and arranged when operated to emit an audible signal which increases in volume as time passes.

The invention also extends to pager for use in the method and arranged to emit a verbal message when operated.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which is a schematic showing operation of an example of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, a body, in this case a child 2 has a waterproof pager 4 secured thereto. In the case illustrated, the pager may incorporate a real or play watch and is strapped to the child's wrist. The strap may incorporate a special clasp, e.g. a lock, which makes it difficult to remove. In an alternative the pager is incorporated into an article of clothing, e.g. sewn in. The article may be an otherwise high visibility over vest. The pager has no manually operated switch or other device by which it may be silenced e.g. turned off. It is powered by a battery contained by a battery compartment opening in the rear of the pager so that the compartment, is covered by the wearer's wrist, whether or not the compartment is fitted with a cover. In another arrangement, not illustrated, the pager is fastened to the child's clothing by a lockable pin. The battery compartment, again, opens in the rear of the pager so that removal of the battery can only take place after removing the pager from the child's clothing. The pager may be in the form of a popular children's character e.g. a teletubby. The pager is operated by a radio signal sent from a pager centre 6. As is known, the pager is operated automatically in response to a telephone call made to a respective telephone number special to that pager. The pager has a display on which numeric messages sent from the pager centre 6 can be shown, known per se. The pager centre 6 has a facility to interrogate the incoming call to discover the number of the telephone from which it is made, known per se, and to transmit that to the pager 4 for display thereby. The pager is silenced by a telephone call to another telephone number special to that pager, the pager may additionally, or alternatively be arranged to cease emitting the audible signal after a predetermined period.

A parent 8, on finding the child 2 is missing, say hidden behind an object 10, may use a telephone, e.g. mobile phone 12, to place a call to the number corresponding to the pager, via a base station 14. This causes the pager to emit an audible signal and to display the number of the mobile telephone 12, or landline used, so that a person finding the child can call the parent's mobile telephone 12 or landline. In case there is some problem in making a call to the parent, the pager preferably has a label on which the child's name and address may be written.

In order to lend a sense of urgency to the situation and to compensate for distance, background noise and sound absorbing obstacles, the pager is arranged so that as time passes the volume of the emitted signal increases up to 100 - 120 dB. This also would allow the parent to locate the child by following the signal even when it was at first inaudible. It is observed that a loud audible signal emanating from a distressed child would attract attention even in the situation where the child was being abducted. As a further enhancement, relevant, especially the terrible circumstance of abduction, but also more generally, the audible signal may consist of or include a verbal message stored in the pager, such as "lost child alert, please phone number shown". This may alternate with emission of a tone.

In an alternative arrangement the battery compartment is lockable, e.g. by use of a key, or combination or special tool.

Claims

I . A method of tracking a body, comprising securing a radio pager to the body, operating the pager by telephone to emit an audible signal, and following the audible signal to the body.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , including increasing the volume of the audible signal as time passes.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the audible signal contains a verbal message.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the audible message contains a tone alternating with the audible message.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, including displaying the directory number of said telephone on the pager.

6. A battery operated pager having no manually operable device for silencing it except removal of the battery.

7. A battery operated pager as claimed in claim 6, operable by one telephone number to emit a sound signal and by another telephone number to silence the sound signal.

8. A battery operated pager as claimed in claim 6, operable to emit a sound signal for a predetermined time period.

9. A pager for use in the method of claim 2, arranged when operated to emit an audible signal which increases in volume as time passes.

10. A pager for use in the method of claim 3, arranged to emit a verbal message when operated.

I I . A pager as claimed in claim 10, arranged to emit an audible tone alternating with the verbal message.

12. A pager as claimed in any of claims 6 to 11 , including means for attaching the pager to a person or their clothing.

13. A pager as claimed in claim 12, having a battery compartment which cannot be opened without removing the pager from the person or their clothing.

14. A pager as claimed in any of claims 6 to 13, having a lockable battery compartment.